New trade group: FSPi

MASSILLON, Ohio--Financial Solutions Providers International, or FSPi, is the newest player on the trade association front looking to attract members of the security industry. Members will be those who are solution providers to the financial marketplace, be they software manufacturers, packaging providers or hardware developers. FSPi executive vice president of members services Leslie Schneider, said they are looking at retail delivery first, security marketplace second. FSPi launched last September with a 5013c non-profit designation and is not a lobbying organization. Currently, FSPi has 12 member companies, who met for the first time March 20, after Security Systems News went to press. Charter companies include integrator/ATM provider Diebold and IT integrator Wincor Nixdorf. Fees are $25,000 for five years for companies with more than $50 million in revenues, $20,000 for those under that mark. Tim Miller, trade show marketing manager at Diebold, said FSPi looked, at first blush, "a little different ... in terms of being a member, we should have a littler more say as to the whole conference and trade show agenda." He said Diebold had lobbied other organizations to create an exhibitor board. FSPi's first big event will be a trade show/expo Sept. 26 through 28 in Atlanta. The goal, said Schneider, is for 1000 attendees, with 300 exhibitors. As for members, FSPi hopes to hit 100 by the beginning of 2007. "Right now," said Schneider, "there's not an organization out there that we've found that offers what we offer to the financial marketplace."